The present invention relates to heterocyclic amide derivatives which are useful for the inhibition and prevention of leukocyte adhesion and leukocyte adhesion-mediated pathologies. This invention also relates to compositions containing such compounds and methods of treatment using such compounds.
Many physiological processes require that cells come into close contact with other cells and/or extracellular matrix. Such adhesion events may be required for cell activation, migration, proliferation and differentiation. Cell—cell and cell-matrix interactions are mediated through several families of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) including the selecting, integrins, cadherins and immunoglobulins. CAMs play an essential role in both normal and pathophysiological processes. Therefore, the targeting of specific and relevant CAMs in certain disease conditions without interfering with normal cellular functions is essential for an effective and safe therapeutic agent that inhibits cell—cell and cell-matrix interactions.
The integrin superfamily is made up of structurally and functionally related glycoproteins consisting of α and β heterodimeric, transmembrane receptor molecules found in various combinations on nearly every mammalian cell type. (for reviews see: E. C. Butcher, Cell, 67, 1033 (1991); T. A. Springer, Cell, 16, 301 (1994); D. Cox et al., “The Pharmacology of the Integrins.” Medicinal Research Rev. 14, 195 (1994) and V. W. Engleman et al., “Cell Adhesion Integrins as Pharmaceutical Targets.” in Ann. Repts. in Medicinal Chemistry, Vol. 31, J. A. Bristol, Ed.; Acad. Press, NY, 1996, p. 191).
VLA-4 (“very late antigen-4”; CD49d/CD29; or α4β1) is an integrin expressed on all leukocytes, except platelets and mature neutrophils, including dendritic cells and macrophage-like cells and is a key mediator of the cell—cell and cell-matrix interactions of of these cell types (see M. E. Hemler, “VLA Proteins in the Integrin Family: Structures, Functions, and Their Role on Leukocytes.” Ann. Rev. Immunol. 8, 365 (1990)). The ligands for VLA-4 include vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and the CS-1 domain of fibronectin (FN). VCAM-1 is a member of the Ig superfamily and is expressed in vivo on endothelial cells at sites of inflammation. (See R. Lobb et al. “Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1.” in Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Inflammation, C. G. Cochrane and M. A. Gimbrone, Eds.; Acad. Press, San Diego, 1993, p. 151.) VCAM-1 is produced by vascular endothelial cells in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines (See A. J. H. Gearing and W. Newman, “Circulating adhesion molecules in disease.”, Immunol. Today, 14, 506 (1993). The CS-1 domain is a 25 amino acid sequence that arises by alternative splicing within a region of fibronectin. (For a review, see R. O. Hynes “Fibronectins.”, Springer-Velag, N.Y., 1990.) A role for VLA-4/CS-1 interactions in inflammatory conditions has been proposed (see M. J. Elices, “The integrin α4β1 (VLA-4) as a therapeutic target” in Cell Adhesion and Human Disease, Ciba Found. Symp., John Wiley & Sons, NY, 1995, p. 79).
α4β7 (also referred to as LPAM-1 and α4βp) is an integrin expressed on leukocytes and is a key mediator of leukocyte trafficking and homing in the gastrointestinal tract (see C. M. Parker et al., Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89, 1924 (1992)). The ligands for α4β7 include mucosal addressing cell adhesion molecule-1 (MadCAM-1) and, upon activation of α4β7, VCAM-1 and fibronectin (Fn). MadCAM-1 is a member of the Ig superfamily and is expressed in vivo on endothelial cells of gut-associated mucosal tissues of the small and large intestine (“Peyer's Patches”) and lactating mammary glands. (See M. J. Briskin et al., Nature, 363, 461 (1993); A. Hamann et al., J. Immunol., 152, 3282 (1994)). MadCAM-1 can be induced in vitro by proinflammatory stimuli (See E. E. Sikorski et al. J. Immunol., 151, 5239 (1993)). MadCAM-1 is selectively expressed at sites of lymphocyte extravasation and specifically binds to the integrin, α4β7.
Neutralizing anti-α4 antibodies or blocking peptides that inhibit the interaction between VLA-4 and/or α4β7 and their ligands have proven efficacious both prophylactically and therapeutically in several animal models of disease, including i) experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, a model of neuronal demyelination resembling multiple sclerosis (for example, see T. Yednock et al., “Prevention of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by antibodies against α4β1 integrin.” Nature, 356, 63 (1993) and E. Keszthelyi et al., “Evidence for a prolonged role of α4 integrin throughout active experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.” Neurology, 47, 1053 (1996)); ii) bronchial hyperresponsiveness in sheep and guinea pigs as models for the various phases of asthma (for example, see W. M. Abraham et al., “α4-Integrins mediate antigen-induced late bronchial responses and prolonged airway hyperresponsiveness in sheep.” J. Clin. Invest. 93, 776 (1993) and A. A. Y. Milne and P. P. Piper, “Role of VLA-4 integrin in leucocyte recruitment and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in the gunea-pig.” Eur. J. Pharmacol., 282, 243 (1995)); iii) adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats as a model of inflammatory arthritis (see C. Barbadillo et al., “Anti-VLA-4 mAb prevents adjuvant arthritis in Lewis rats.” Arthr. Rheuma. (Suppl.), 36 95 (1993) and D. Seiffge, “Protective effects of monoclonal antibody to VLA-4 on leukocyte adhesion and course of disease in adjuvant arthritis in rats.” J. Rheumatol., 23, 12 (1996)); iv) adoptive autoimmune diabetes in the NOD mouse (see J. L. Baron et al., “The pathogenesis of adoptive murine autoimmune diabetes requires an interaction between α4-integrins and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1.”, J. Clin. Invest., 93, 1700 (1994), A. Jakubowski et al., “Vascular cell adhesion molecule-Ig fusion protein selectively targets activated α4-integrin receptors in vivo: Inhibition of autoimmune diabetes in an adoptive transfer model in nonobese diabetic mice.” J. Immunol., 155, 938 (1995), and X. D. Yang et al., “Involvement of beta 7 integrin and mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MadCAM-1) in the development of diabetes in nonobese diabetic mice”, Diabetes, 46, 1542 (1997)); v) cardiac allograft survival in mice as a model of organ transplantation (see M. Isobe et al., “Effect of anti-VCAM-1 and anti-VLA-4 monoclonal antibodies on cardiac allograft survival and response to soluble antigens in mice.”, Transplant. Proc., 26, 867 (1994) and S. Molossi et al., “Blockade of very late antigen-4 integrin binding to fibronectin with connecting segment-1 peptide reduces accelerated coronary arteripathy in rabbit cardiac allografts.” J. Clin Invest., 2601 (1995)); vi) spontaneous chronic colitis in cotton-top tamarins which resembles human ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (see D. K. Podolsky et al., “Attenuation of colitis in the Cotton-top tamarin by anti-α4 integrin monoclonal antibody.”, J. Clin Invest., 92, 372 (1993)); vii) contact hypersensitivity models as a model for skin allergic reactions (see T. A. Ferguson and T. S. Kupper, “Antigen-independent processes in antigen-specific immunity.”, J. Immunol., 150, 1172 (1993) and P. L. Chisholm et al., “Monoclonal antibodies to the integrin α-4 subunit inhibit the murine contact hypersensitivity response.” Eur. J. Immunol., 23, 682 (1993)); viii) acute neurotoxic nephritis (see M. S. Mulligan et al., “Requirements for leukocyte adhesion molecules in nephrotoxic nephritis.”, J. Clin. Invest., 91, 577 (1993)); ix) tumor metastasis (for examples, see M. Edward, “Integrins and other adhesion molecules involved in melanocytic tumor progression.”, Curr. Opin. Oncol., 7, 185 (1995)); x) experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (see R. W. McMurray et al., “The role of α4 integrin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in murine experimental autoimmune thyroiditis.” Autoimmunity, 23, 9 (1996); and                xi) ischemic tissue damage following arterial occlusion in rats (see F. Squadrito et al., “Leukocyte integrin very late antigen-4/vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 adhesion pathway in splanchnic artery occlusion shock.” Eur. J. Pharmacol., 318, 153 (1996; xii) inhibition of TH2 T-cell cytokine production including IL-4 and IL-5 by VLA-4 antibodies which would attenuate allergic responses (J. Clinical Investigation 100, 3083 (1997). The primary mechanism of action of such antibodies appears to be the inhibition of lymphocyte and monocyte interactions with CAMs associated with components of the extracellular matrix, thereby limiting leukocyte migration to extravascular sites of injury or inflammation and/or limiting the priming and/or activation of leukocytes.        
There is additional evidence supporting a possible role for VLA-4 interactions in other diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis; various melanomas, carcinomas, and sarcomas; inflammatory lung disorders; acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); atherosclerotic plaque formation; restenosis; uveitis and circulatory shock (for examples, see A. A. Postigo et al., “The α4β1/CAM-1 adhesion pathway in physiology and disease.”, Res. Immunol., 144, 723 (1994) and J.-X. Gao and A. C. Issekutz, “Expression of VCAM-1 and VLA-4 dependent T-lymphocyte adhesion to dermal fibroblasts stimulated with proinflammatory cytokines.” Immunol. 89, 375 (1996)).
At present, there is a humanized monoclonal antibody (Antegren® Athena Neurosciences/Elan) against VLA-4 in clinical development for the treatment of “flares” associated with multiple sclerosis and a humanized monoclonal antibody (ACT-1®/LDP-02 LeukoSite) against α4β7 in clinical development for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Several peptidyl antagonists of VLA-4 have been described (D. Y. Jackson et al., “Potent α4β1 peptide antagonists as potential anti-inflammatory agents”, J. Med. Chem., 40, 3359 (1997); H. N. Shroff et al., “Small peptide inhibitors of α4β7 mediated MadCAM-1 adhesion to lymphocytes”, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 6, 2495 (1996); U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,332, WO97/03094, WO97/02289, WO96/40781, WO96/22966, WO96/20216, WO96/01644, WO96/06108, WO95/15973). There is one report of nonpeptidyl inhibitors of the ligands for α4-integrins (WO96/31206). There still remains a need for low molecular weight, specific inhibitors of VLA-4- and α4β7-dependent cell adhesion that have improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties such as oral bioavailability and significant duration of action. Such compounds would prove to be useful for the treatment, prevention or suppression of various pathologies mediated by VLA-4 and α4β7 binding and cell adhesion and activation.